A man minding his own business near the tourist-magnet Astor Place Cube in Manhattan was randomly stabbed in the neck in broad daylight Thursday, according to cops and witnesses.
A man in dark clothes and camouflage pants slashed the victim, who was roughly in his twenties, amid hordes of pedestrians around 3:22 p.m., police said.
The attack came completely out of the blue, a witness told the Daily News.
“There was nothing going on, no altercation. Suddenly, he was down on the ground holding his neck,” said Michael Picadi, 25, who works in finance. “He was in the fetal position in a huge pool of blood.
“Ten seconds earlier and it could have been me,” he added.
A guard who provides security in the area said he came upon the victim’s body as he lay splayed on the pavement.
“He was looking like he was still alive but he was bleeding like a horror flick,” said Craig Terry, 47.
The stabber took off across Astor Place, disappearing into the crowds of the East Village. He was still at large as of Thursday evening.
Cop sources said a witness managed to snap a pic of the attacker before he dashed off, sharing the image with investigators.
Major crimes including felony assaults are down more than 25% so far this year in the NYPD’s Ninth Precinct, which covers the East Village, according to police stats.
A local man described the area as “like Times Square for the alternative people,” calling it “NYU territory.”
“Nothing like that happens here. It’s going back to the 80s,” said the man, 46-year-old Corey Smith.
